Chapter 31: The First Sign

Once again, Gu Shiying had inadvertently saved someone who’d been drugged. Afterward, everyone in their private room agreed they couldn’t let those two scumbags get away and decisively called the police.

He Zexuan, the victim, was taken away by ambulance. The suit, the shirt-guy, and everyone in their private room were all hauled off by the police for questioning. The KTV manager was also taken, sweating bullets the whole time.

With things escalated to this point, the KTV was clearly a bust. Everyone’s mood was gone, so they relocated straight to a BBQ stall.

The BBQ place only had tables for four or six. Since they’d arrived late during peak hours, they couldn’t push tables together and ended up splitting into two groups.

Gu Shiying sat with the four from Dorm 701. Liang Qi, Fu Huan, and their friends took the other table.

The food wouldn’t be out for a while, so everyone dove straight into conversation.

Zhang Zhi was again filled with regret that he hadn’t gone to the bathroom with Gu Shiying.

Still shaken, he said, “Ying’er, you’re really okay? Next time something happens, just yell for us first. Don’t just charge in by yourself. How many times has this happened to you lately?”

Gu Shiying replied, “I wasn’t thinking that far ahead. Besides, I’m fine, aren’t I? Not a scratch. Saved someone and got a bunch of lowlifes sent to the police station.”

Zhang Zhi: “Fine, fine. You’re a modern-day Lei Feng.”

Gu Shiying: “It’s not like I planned it. What would you have done if someone cried for help right in front of you? I couldn’t just ignore my conscience and leave him on the floor. Those two showed up after.”

Zhang Zhi: “True. Just… don’t do that again. Look out for yourself first.”

Gu Shiying: “By the way, how did you guys get there so fast?”

Zhang Zhi clapped him on the shoulder. “You have our Brother Huan to thank for that. He’s the one who first noticed you’d been gone way too long and dragged us out to find you. You owe him big time for this one!”

Gu Shiying had already lost count of the meals he owed Fu Huan. How could he possibly repay this? Couldn’t exactly offer his body in gratitude, could he?

Even if Fu Huan would agree, he sure wouldn’t!

So… more gift-buying for Fu Huan it was. But what could he possibly get this time?

Ugh. Why was it that every time he saved someone, he was the one racking up debts?

He’d been helped by Fu Huan yet again. The two hadn’t even really spoken much.

Fu Huan wasn’t returning to the dorm that night either—he planned to leave in Liang Qi’s car.

Gu Shiying asked casually, “You’re not coming back to the dorm tonight?”

Fu Huan: “No, I’ve got some things to do. Text me when you get back.”

Gu Shiying nodded. “Mm, mm.”

Now that Gu Shiying knew about his orientation, Fu Huan figured he should give them both a little breathing room.

Previously, while still in the closet, he could covertly send food and drinks, quietly help and watch over Gu Shiying from the shadows—be a proper, unobtrusive secret admirer. But now, everything had changed.

Gu Shiying had said he didn’t discriminate against gay men, hadn’t shown disgust or aversion, and had even turned to him first for help in a crisis.

Maybe… he really needed to think seriously about whether he could confess. How to take the next step forward.

He didn’t want to be just Gu Shiying’s roommate anymore. At the very least, he had to become a close friend. Not quite lovers, but more than friends. He wanted to surpass Zhang Zhi’s place in Gu Shiying’s heart.

Fu Huan had a place of his own near the school. But only Liang Qi knew about it.

Both had been drinking, so Liang Qi called a designated driver.

Slouching against the car seat, Liang Qi remarked, “Isn’t your law-student roommate out at some judicial prep course? Little Lamb’s not there either. That means it’s just you and Gu Shiying in the dorm. Such a perfect opportunity—and you’re not going back?”

The corners of Fu Huan’s mouth twitched, almost betraying him. His gloomy mood from the previous two days had completely vanished.

He simply said, “Not going back.”

Liang Qi: “Gu Shiying really is the only medicine that works on you, huh. I dragged you out all day to have fun—didn’t even get a decent expression out of you. He shows up for less than half an hour and cures your whole emotional crisis. Tsk tsk. A miracle drug isn’t this effective. That’s love for you.”

Fu Huan: “He knows my orientation now.”

Liang Qi shrugged dismissively. “And? So he knows your orientation. That’s perfectly normal. Everyone in our class knows mine. Half the girls ship us, even.”

Fu Huan tuned him out, filtering the words through one ear and out the other. He just wanted to boast about his current crowning achievement. “He wasn’t discriminatory. Wasn’t grossed out. Doesn’t dislike me.”

Liang Qi: “So, what’s your next move? Gonna confess?”

Fu Huan: “I’ll wait a little longer.”

Liang Qi’s frustration with his friend’s passivity boiled over. He slapped Fu Huan’s solid thigh. “I’m telling you, Brother Fu, Brother Huan, Young Master Fu—can you please, for once, be a little more direct? Use even fifty percent of that viciousness you showed pounding that scumbag?”

Fu Huan: “Stay out of it. I have my own pace.”

Liang Qi: “…” Fine. He was just meddling where he wasn’t wanted.

So Fu Huan knew his crush knew his orientation and didn’t reject him for it—and that alone had him floating on cloud nine. This terminal case of lovestruck hopelessness was beyond saving.

Back at school, the KTV incident gradually faded from the students’ memories.

Gu Shiying had been helping quite a few people lately, and this was just one instance. He himself let the specific event blur, only remembering the lesson: when you step out into society, you have to learn to judge people. Be careful everywhere outside. Bad guys don’t walk around with the words “I am a bad guy” tattooed on their foreheads.

Compared to that incident, what occupied Dorm 504’s attention far more was Fu Huan’s sexual orientation. Ever since it was out in the open, Fu Huan treated Yang Shuheng and Guan Yu with the same detached indifference as always—not overly close, but not distant either. He acted exactly the same as before.

Only with Gu Shiying had he become more… overt. Gu Shiying himself felt the change most acutely. But Yang Shuheng and Guan Yu took it in stride; Fu Huan had always been closer to Gu Shiying anyway.

Gu Shiying could only think: …He’s literally trying to seduce me.

Even though Fu Huan maintained strict “bro-code” boundaries, keeping his relationship with Yang Shuheng and Guan Yu purely that of roommates, it didn’t curb Yang Shuheng’s burning curiosity.

After all, having such an aloof roommate openly admitting he was gay? That was prime novelty material.

Yang Shuheng often had classes in the same direction as Fu Huan’s teaching buildings. But Fu Huan and Liang Qi, with their ridiculously long legs, walked fast, and Yang Shuheng frequently couldn’t catch up.

But that was perfect. He didn’t need to catch up; he could just gossip from behind.

SteelStraightManSecretBase#

[Little Lamb: [photo.jpg]]

[Little Lamb: Brother Huan and Liang Qi walking together—they actually have quite the CP vibe.]

[Guan Yu: Isn’t that just normal walking side-by-side? Where’s the CP vibe?]

Gu Shiying tapped in and saw the photo Yang Shuheng had sent.

Before he could even weigh in, Yang Shuheng sent another.

[Little Lamb: [photo.jpg]]

[Little Lamb: Holy crap, is the heartthrob actually chasing after Brother Huan? He waited for him at the intersection! And he knows Liang Qi too! They all walked off together!]

[Gu Shiying: Seems pretty normal? With our Brother Huan’s looks and aura, of course he’d attract other guys.]

[Little Lamb: Babies, wait for my live updates! I feel like if they actually get together, they’ll be super lovey-dovey!]

[Gu Shiying eagerly chimed in: Awesome, Lamb-Lamb livestream!]

At noon, Gu Shiying and the Dorm 701 crew headed to the canteen together.

Everyone was drained from their 8 AM classes. Mealtime was mostly spent scrolling phones for entertainment; conversation was sparse.

Gu Shiying also checked his phone and saw Yang Shuheng’s “live coverage” again.

Yang Shuheng had leveled up—this time it was a video, not a photo.

[Little Lamb: Waaaah, Lin Zijing is eating lunch with Brother Huan and Liang Qi! Does this mean something’s happening between them?]

His class location was in a different building direction from Gu Shiying, on another side of campus with its own canteen. Since Yang Shuheng and Fu Huan had classes in the same vicinity, they naturally ended up in the same canteen—nothing suspicious about bumping into Lin Zijing.

[Guan Yu: You have eagle eyes. How’d you even spot that?]

[Little Lamb: A person’s gotta have a keen sense of observation.]

[Gu Shiying: They look pretty familiar with each other. Laughing so happily.]

In the video, Fu Huan’s expression was unchanged, but Liang Qi and Lin Zijing seemed to be chatting animatedly.

Lin Zijing, true to his Fine Arts heartthrob title, had a distinctive charm when he smiled. The way he looked at Fu Huan was also quite… alluring. So this was the way gay men looked at each other? Pretty blatant.

But Gu Shiying still remembered what Fu Huan had told him at the KTV: “Not everyone who invites me to a meal gets one.”

Pfft. Yet here he was, eating with him anyway.

A man’s mouth is a lying trap. But then, with such a pretty little pretty boy fluttering around him, of course he’d be tempted.

[Little Lamb: The three of them sitting together really is an aesthetic. I saw some girls sneakily taking photos earlier.]

[Little Lamb: Done eating! Heading back to the dorm to nap!]

[Little Lamb: So, if Brother Huan is in that ambiguous “getting to know you” phase with Lin Zijing right now, do you think he’ll come back to the dorm at noon?]

[Gu Shiying: Doesn’t he usually go play ball at noon? He rarely comes back to the dorm anyway.]

[Guan Yu: His stamina is seriously insane.]

[Little Lamb: But he comes back sometimes.]

[Gu Shiying: I’m done eating too.]

Gu Shiying had an 8 AM class that morning, so a noon nap was a must. But today, even at the usual time, he couldn’t fall asleep. His ears stayed tuned to the sounds at the door.

Fu Huan never came back. Was he really starting an ambiguous thing with Lin Zijing?

Eh, forget it. No more gossiping. His nap was more important than other people’s private lives.

The afternoon classes were just as jam-packed.

Summer heat was descending. In the classroom, only the sound of the professor’s voice and the AC’s hum filled the air.

Even though he’d napped, Gu Shiying was still incredibly drowsy.

After the first period ended, he slumped onto his desk, completely unwilling to move.

Zhang Zhi, perpetually full of energy, was chatting animatedly with the classmates beside him. Something in the conversation made him poke at Gu Shiying.

“Ying’er.”

Gu Shiying lifted his head from the crook of his arm, utterly confused. “What?”

Zhang Zhi: “Why’re you so listless today? You sick?”

They were nearly at finals. Professors were starting to highlight key points for review. Just one more week, and they’d be in the thick of exam week.

Gu Shiying denied it. “No. Just extra sleepy today. Summer’s here—perfect napping weather.”

Zhang Zhi: “For your final project, you doing it solo or you wanna team up?”

Their last collaborative project had gone viral online, racking up over five hundred thousand likes. Their school’s assignment account had even gained a bunch of followers from it.

Gu Shiying thought for a moment. “I’ll do it solo.”

He had his own future plans.

Zhang Zhi: “I kinda want to do my own too. What theme are you thinking?”

Gu Shiying initially wanted to do something fun around the campus canteens. But now, facing finals, he felt he should go for something with more depth.

“Haven’t decided yet. Still thinking.”

They bantered on. The eldest from Dorm 701 brought up his own elective exam problem—he needed a partner for the test.

Some male students had previously signed up for ballroom dancing just to meet girls. Most guys had the same idea, scrambling for the course. In the end, almost everyone who’d grabbed a spot was male. They had to take male-male partners. The class nearly died laughing.

Gu Shiying, however, was thinking about his own still-shaky breaststroke. Zhang Zhi became totally unreliable the moment he hit the water. Among the people he knew who could actually teach well, only one remained…

He pursed his lips and tapped into WeChat.

[Gu Shiying: You free tonight?]

[Fu Huan: Yes.]

[Gu Shiying: Got my swim exam next week. Teach me?]

[Fu Huan: I’ll go back to the dorm first after class to grab my swim trunks, then come find you.]

[Gu Shiying: I’d need to go back and grab mine too.]

[Fu Huan: My last class today is canceled. I’ll get yours for you.]

[Gu Shiying: Okay. They’re in the bottom drawer of my closet.]

There was a minute’s pause before Fu Huan replied.

[Fu Huan: Mm. Got it.]

Fu Huan’s afternoon class was in a small lecture room. He was too tall to sit up front comfortably, so he habitually chose the back row.

He sat propped by the window, chin resting on his hand, holding his phone. Every so often, he’d glance at the screen, as if confirming something.

Liang Qi nudged him with an elbow. “Wanna go for a smoke?”

Fu Huan: “No.”

Liang Qi suddenly looked at him like he’d discovered a new species. “Whoa. Why are your ears so red? You eat some poisonous mushrooms at lunch or something?”

Fu Huan: “…Piss off.”